The overall goal of the Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration (IRC) of RCMI is to strengthen the pharmaceutical research infrastructure at the Florida A&M University College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences which has demonstrated commitment to minority education through "excellence with caring", and is at the forefront in producing minority researchers in biomedical sciences. The long-range goals of the IRC are: 1) to strengthen the research infrastructure of Florida A&M University in drug discovery research through coordinated interdisciplinary collaboration; 2) to ensure high quality graduate research programs in the two PhD granting divisions of medicinal chemistry and pharmacology/toxicology; 3) to increase research collaboration among the investigators at Florida A&M University, and 4) to increase the number of competent minority faculty researchers. In light of the goals, the IRC has developed the following four specific aims in this application; 1)enhancement of research collaboration activities; 2) recruitment of minority faculty and graduate students; 3) augmentation of computer-based molecular modeling laboratory; and 4) support for four drug discovery research projects in the area of anti-inflammatory and anti-HIV/ anti-cancer agents. The expected outcomes of this activity are the positive impact on the university research community; increased faculty research competitiveness through collaboration and sharing resources; increased number of competent minority researchers; and high productivity in publishing results that lead to an increase in funding opportunities for investigators.